Padlock with deflectable shackle section

ABSTRACT

The retractable and extensible shackle of the present padlock is formed with a section, which includes the short leg of the shackle, which section is deflectable relative to the remainder of the shackle when the shackle is released from the padlock body and projected away therefrom, thereby giving the shackle a wide mouth for easy entrance thereinto of a bar or other fixed element of an item to which the padlock is to be applied. Then, when the deflected portion of the shackle is returned to its normal position and the retracted shackle is secured within the padlock body the shackle will so closely encompass the engaged bar or element that there will be no room for the application of a cutting tool by a prospective thief.

[451 Sept. 30, 1975 United States Patent [1 1 Foote PADLOCK WITH DEFLECTABLE SHACKLE SECTION Inventor:

Primary Examiner--Robert L. Wolfe Daniel J Foote Wauwatosa Wis Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Curtis B. Morsell, Sr.

[57] ABSTRACT The retractable and extensible shackle of the present padlock is formed with a section, which includes the short leg of the shackle, which section is deflectable Assignee: Master-Lock Company, Milwaukee,

Wis.

22 Filed: May 28, 1974 211 Appl. No.: 473,399

relative to the remainder of the shackle when the shackle is released from the padlock body and projected away therefrom, thereby giving the shackle a 51 Int. E05B 67/06 Wide mouth for y entrance thereinw of a bar or [58] w f Search 7 5 30 49 38 R, 38 A, other fixed element of an item to which the padlock is be applied. Then, when the deflected portion of the shackle is returned to its normal position and the retracted shackle is secured within the padlock bod shackle will so closely encompass the engaged b' y the [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS ar or element that there will be no room for the application of a cutting tool by a prospective thief.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Sept. 30,1975 Sheet 1 of 2 3,908,415

U.S. Patent U.S. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,908,415

PADLOCK WITH DEFLECTABLE SHACKLE SECTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thieves have for many years used various methods of attack on padlocks in attempts to disengage thepad locks from the items protected thereby. One method is by the use of a cutting or prying tool in an attempt to sever or release a leg of the locked padlock shackle. Pursuant to the present invention the shackle legs and head can be reinforced and the entire shackle can be designed so as to so closely fit the bar or fixed element to which it is applied that there is no room or space for the insertion and manipulation of a cutting tool. The close fit of the shackle is made possible by the construction of the shackle with a deflectable section whereby, when the shackle is unlocked, projected outwardly of and swung away from the padlock 'body a widened mouth or entrance to the shackle is provided which will easily permit engagement of the shackle with a bar or fixed element which so closely occupies the in terior of the shackle that its entrance thereinto wouldv lock so constructed will resist or render impossible attempts to sever or impair the padlock shackle by means of the application thereto of a cutting tool.

Still further objects of the invention are to provide a padlock with a deflectable shackle section which BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front and side perspective view of a padlock having a shackle with a deflectable section with the shackle in its retracted and locked condition applied to and tightly engaging a fixed element or the like; the latter being shown in section;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1 only with the fixed element omitted;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the shackle in its released and projected position and swung away from the padlock body to expose the shackle mouth which is temporarily widened by movements of a section of the shackle to its deflected condition, the shackle head being shown in section;

FIG. 5 is a plan view, on a smaller scale, of the deflectable shackle section padlock applied to an element of a trailer hitch lock with means on the shackle for receiving the ends of a securing chain or the like; and

FIG. 6 is a view of a modified form of padlock wherein the legs of the shackle are bowed adapting the padlock to application to a bar of a bicycle and having bicycle locking means associated therewith.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The body 10 of the padlock with which the improved shackle with a deflectable section is associated, is illustrated as being laminated, although this is not necessary. As is usual, the body is provided with a bore in which the long leg 11 of the shackle reciprocates. The short leg 12 of the shackle also reciprocates in another bore in said body and when the shackle is unlocked and is permitted to project to its extended position, the

inner end of said short leg of the shackle will be free of the padlock body, forming a mouth to the interior of the shackle for engagement of a bar or element to be locked (13 in FIG. 1) within said shackle. As will be dealt with more fully hereinafter, the outer ends of the shackle legs 11 and 12 are connected to and are spanned by a massive shackle head 14 which has hollow interior portions 15 and which has affixed thereto a base plate 16 through openings in which the outer ends of the legs 11 and 12 extend and are secured. Rivets or screws 17 may be used to rigidly secure the base plate 16 to inner webs 18 within the head 14.

It will be observed particularly from FIGS. 2 and 4 that the opening 19 in said base plate 16 through which the outer end portion of the short leg of the shackle extends is of a size to closely fit said leg portion so that said short leg cannot deflect or wiggle relative to the shackle head 14. Flats 20 are formed on opposite sides of said leg portion to limit movement of said leg within its correspondingly shaped opening 19. However, the

plate opening 21 through which the outer end portion of the long leg 11 of the shackle extends is of greater size than that portion of the leg 11 which is received thereby, said portion of the leg 11 also being formed with flats 20. The larger opening 21, therefore, permits deflection or wiggling of the shackle head 14 relative to the long leg 11 so that the condition of FIG. 4 is attainable when the shackle is released, projected and turned. In order to provide rivet-like heads 11 and 12' for the outer extremities of the legs 11 and 12, the later extremities are subjected to a machine operation in the nature of staking. Said enlargements ll and 12' overlie the respective plate openings 19 and 21 and prevent inward withdrawal of the shackle legs.

From FIGS. 1 and 2 it will be observed that the portion of the long leg 11 of the shackle which is between the head plate 16 and the top lamination of the padlock body 10 when the shackle is in its retracted position, is completely encased in and is rigid with a massive metal post 22 which is too bulky to be vulnerable to a cutting tool and which restricts the interior of the shackle so that when the latter is engaged with a bar or element 13, there is no room within the shackle, when it is retracted and locked, for the application of a cutting or prying tool. Furthermore, the massive shackle head 14 precludes the successful application of a tool and in usage, the short leg 12 is in contact with or in close adjacency to the engaged bar of element 13.

In FIG. 5 a padlock with a deflectable shackle section is shown applied to an element 23 of a trailer hitch lock to prevent the entrance of a towing vehicle connection into the hitch socket, when the trailer is detached from the tractor, or to prevent unauthorized detachment of the towing vehicle connection from the hitch socket when the trailer is connected to the tractor. In this form of the invention it is convenient to apply a chain 24 to the improved shackle of the padlock. The head portion 14 of the shackle may fixedly carry an eye 25 to which one end portion of the chain is affixed. When the trailer is connected to the tractor the chain 24 may be engaged about the tractor bumper (not shown) or some other fixed element thereof and is then returned to the padlock whereupon the free end of the chain 24 is engaged with the short leg 12 of the shackle when said leg is released and extended, as in FIG. 4. Then, when the shackle is returned to its retracted secured position said end portion of the claim will be locked to the shackle leg 12. Similarly, when the trailer is standing detached from its towing vehicle the chain 24 may be secured about a tree, post or other fixed support (not shown) to preclude a thief from manually pushing the trailer away from its station.

In FIG. 6 of the drawings the padlock body 10 operatively carries a shackle wherein the legs 11a and 12a thereof are outwardly bowed to adapt the padlock for use on a bar 26 of a bicycle 27 for the purpose of looking the bicycle to a post or fixed support to prevent theft of the bicycle. The bowed legs 11a and 12a of the modified form of shackle embrace the bicycle bar 26 so closely that there is no room for the insertion of a cutting or prying tool by a thief. The massive head 14 of this form of shackle is defiectably carried by the outer end of the'long leg 11a of the shackle, while the outer end of the shackle leg 12a is rigidly engaged with the head 14. Thus, when the shackle is released and extended and swung away from the body 10 a relatively wide mouth or entrance for the shackle is provided by the deflection of the shackle section making it easy to engage the shackle with a bar 26 or the like, or to remove it therefrom. In this form of the invention the head may be formed with a bore 29 through which a cable 28 frictionally adjustably extends, which cable may be secured about a post, tree or other fixed support (not shown) to prevent theft of the bicycle.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that the padlock of the instant invention is provided with a unique form of shackle characterized by having a section which is deflectable. Consequently, portions of the shackle may be unusually massive in structure so that when the shackle is in its retracted locked condition engaged with an element of a member to be locked, the shackle will closely or tightly encompass the engaged element, rendering it difficult, if not impossible, for a thief to insert a cutting or prying tool. The close fit of the shackle is attributable to the deflectable shackle section which permits the short leg of the shackle when the latter is unlocked and projected outwardly and away from the body, to be spread so as to provide a wide mouth for easy entrance into the shackle of an element to be secured thereby.

The deflectable shackle section padlock is susceptible of a variety of uses, particularly where it is desired to so occupy the shackle interior that there is no room for the manipulation of a tool therein, and the massive structure of the shackle precludes successful exterior cutting or filing thereof. The improved shackle of the present invention can be of any size, is associated with a standard padlock body, is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, is easy to operate, is impressive in its appearance, and is well adapted for the purposes set forth.

What is claimed is:

1. In a padlock which includes a body with a shackle movably extending into said body, the shackle having a first leg and a second leg, the latter being reciprocatable free of the body, a head bridging the outer end portions of the shackle legs, means connecting the head to the outer end portions of the legs with the connection between the head and one of the legs being loose so that when the shackle has said second leg reciprocated free of the body a section of the shackle may be deflected outwardly to temporarily widen the entrance into the shackle between the legs thereof, and a massive post which surrounds that portion of the first leg which is exposed when the shackle is in its inwardly reciprocated position relative to the body.

2. The padlock structure recited in claim 1 wherein said post is of metal.

3. The padlock structure recited in claim 1 wherein there is associated with the shackle a securing chain which may have another portion thereof engaged with the second leg of the shackle.

4. In combination, a padlock body, a shackle reciprocatably movably extending into the body and including a first leg, a second leg and a head bridging the outer end portions of the shackle legs, the shackle including a connection which permits portions of the shackle to deflect when the shackle is in an outwardly reciprocated and released position to temporarily widen the mouth into the shackle, the shackle head having a base plate and hollow interior portions, there being openings in said base plate through which the outer end portions of the shackle legs extend.

5. The combination recited in claim 4 wherein the extremities of the shackle legs within the hollow portions of the shackle head are formed with rivet-like heads.

6. The padlock structure recited in claim 1 wherein the connection between the shackle head and one of the legs is a pin and slot connection.

7. The combination recited in claim 4 wherein the opening in the base plate of the head through which said second leg extends is of a size to afford a tight fit between said leg and the base plate, whereas the opening in said base plate through which said first leg extends is of a size to provide a loose fit for said first leg. 

1. In a padlock which includes a body with a shackle movably extending into said body, the shackle having a first leg and a second leg, the latter being reciprocatable free of the body, a head bridging the outer end portions of the shackle legs, means connecting the head to the outer end portions of the legs with the connection between the head and one of the legs being loose so That when the shackle has said second leg reciprocated free of the body a section of the shackle may be deflected outwardly to temporarily widen the entrance into the shackle between the legs thereof, and a massive post which surrounds that portion of the first leg which is exposed when the shackle is in its inwardly reciprocated position relative to the body.
 2. The padlock structure recited in claim 1 wherein said post is of metal.
 3. The padlock structure recited in claim 1 wherein there is associated with the shackle a securing chain which may have another portion thereof engaged with the second leg of the shackle.
 4. In combination, a padlock body, a shackle reciprocatably movably extending into the body and including a first leg, a second leg and a head bridging the outer end portions of the shackle legs, the shackle including a connection which permits portions of the shackle to deflect when the shackle is in an outwardly reciprocated and released position to temporarily widen the mouth into the shackle, the shackle head having a base plate and hollow interior portions, there being openings in said base plate through which the outer end portions of the shackle legs extend.
 5. The combination recited in claim 4 wherein the extremities of the shackle legs within the hollow portions of the shackle head are formed with rivet-like heads.
 6. The padlock structure recited in claim 1 wherein the connection between the shackle head and one of the legs is a pin and slot connection.
 7. The combination recited in claim 4 wherein the opening in the base plate of the head through which said second leg extends is of a size to afford a tight fit between said leg and the base plate, whereas the opening in said base plate through which said first leg extends is of a size to provide a loose fit for said first leg. 